


Rest while we heal

by sarahjean



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec is the best boyfriend, Fluff, M/M, They are struggling, mags is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 19:04:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20511971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahjean/pseuds/sarahjean
Summary: A friend of Magnus' goes against the clave in a fit of rage and begins to kill shadowhunters. This prompts a mission by the NY institute to capture her and bring her in.After successfully finding and capturing her Magnus and Alec go home and take some time to recover, both physically and mentally. Alec comforts and cares for Magnus in his time of grief.Essentially fluff where Alec helps his boyfriend cope with the loss of a close friend.





	Rest while we heal

It was the middle of September in New York City. Students were rushing to their schools for the start of a new day of classes and adults pushed their way into the subways on their daily commute to work. In the middle of it all Magnus and Alec walked silently back to the warlocks loft with dampened moods clouding the beauty of autumn. The two had been out for a mission assigned by the institute and had been unable to rest for nearly a day. Luckily the other warlock surrendered to the clave and gave up in their work to kill shadowhunters. It was a dangerous mission that could have ended in casualties that the institute would have struggled to cope with. In the end there had been only one major injury but, even that was quickly healed by Magnus. Overall it was successful beyond what most missions ended up being. 

This mission was a particularly hard one for Magnus, he was sad to see that one of his dearest friends had been seduced to the dark side of what a warlocks magic could do. Rosalia had been his friend since one of his visits in Rome over 400 years ago. She was a mentor and friend but after a shadowhunter killed her vampire lover there was no hope in reasoning with her. The loss had been too much and she never forgave the shadowhunters for what they did. Though Alec hadn’t met Rosalia he could tell that this mission had taken a toll on Magnus.

They walked in silence, it was just easier to be quiet while they processed. Magnus lent heavily into Alec’s side and kept his head pointed at the ground. It didn’t bother Alec who wrapped his arm around Magnus to make sure both got back home. There wasn't really much to say. They were both just so tired. The only thing the two could think about doing was taking a warm shower and crawling into bed for the rest of the day. 

Jace, Izzy, and Clary went back to the institute to brief everyone there because the rules about keeping downworlders out of the institute were still in place. Magnus wasn’t welcome with the shadowhunters and that was a good thing on this windy September morning. Most shadowhunters were not fond of downworlders and were never kind to those who were allowed in for even just a few hours. He needed to be away from the scorn of others. Alec and the apartment would be the best to get Magnus feeling normal again. 

Buildings slowly began to look more familiar as the two got closer to the apartment. The bricks that had been there for many years worn due to constant exposure to sunlight. Cracks in the sidewalk that always seemed to trip one of them no matter how many times this path had been taken were narrowly avoided by the two weary men. Soon enough the door of the apartment were the only obstacle to the two finally being alone. 

Magnus stood complacent as Alec took off his jacket and hung it by the door. His limbs laid quickly at his side once the jacket had been taken off. Alec followed suit with his own jacket while Magnus stood idle with tears began to flow from his eyes. He stayed strong and did his best to look bothered while the others watched. Throughout the whole walk home those tough walls began to crumble. He was devastated, he was frustrated, he couldn’t save his friend though he had desperately wanted to. 

Alec quickly pulled Magnus into his arms once he saw the tears falling down the others face. An onslaught of tears soaked Alec’s shoulder as the two stood in a tight embrace. “We should go shower, or even take a bath.” Alec kept his voice low and stepped back just a bit to look into Magnus’ eyes. Bits of the makeup Magnus always wore was dripping down his face alongside the tears. Magnus only nodded and let himself be led to their bedroom. 

The room was large for a New York City bedroom but for Magnus the space felt empty. Though furniture and art pieces from all over the world took up much of the floor and wall space the room felt as though devoid of everything. Alec sat his boyfriend down in one of the ornate chairs and walked into the ensuite. Magnus sat with a blank stare plastered on his face. The sound of flowing water reached the bedroom through the open door. Alec returned with a makeup wipe in hand. 

He knelt before Magnus and gently reached up to wipe a tear from the side of his face. “I’ve got a bath running. Is it okay if I get the makeup off your face while we wait for the bath to fill up?” Again there was no verbal response, but a nod provided Alec with enough of an answer to continue. He gently allowed his hand to wipe the eyeshadow from all the space on his lovers skin. Tears continued to fall but more slowly than they had been just minutes before. 

Alec worked quickly but retained the gentleness in his movement as to keep Magnus calm. He wanted to make sure that nothing else went bad for at least a few hours, if that was even possible. Magnus sat in a daze. He wasn’t paying attention to what was going on. He didn’t notice Alec leaving his side to check on the bath until Alec was once again at his side helping him to his feet. “Can you lift your arms a bit? The water won’t be warm for long.” Gentle yet firm was who Alec was and it was what Magnus always found comfort in. His boyfriend was honest and put others before himself. 

Magnus did as he was asked, he raised his arms just high enough to let Alec pull his shirt off. The same process was done until Magnus stood naked in front of Alec. He didn’t really notice the cold. Sure there was nothing covering his skin but his head was cloudy and hazy. It was too late. That was all he was thinking. He had wanted to be able to help redeem his friend but was too late. Grief had taken her too far from reasoning and logic. 

Alec grabbed his hand momentarily breaking him out of his trace. “Follow me, I hope the water is still warm.” The last half of the sentence was uttered at barely a whisper. It was barely audible. Once in the middle of the bathroom Alec stopped and dropped Magnus’ hand back down. Magnus would usually drink up the sight of Alec undressing but paid little attention the beauty this morning. Alec walked over to the bath and dipped his fingers into the clear liquid. After finding it still warm he got in slowly. Resting his back against the side he called Magnus over. Even though Magnus wasn’t really present his brain knew the sound of Alec’s voice and could react to him without a thought even getting processed. 

With slow movements of his body Magnus climbed into the tub in front of Alec. He let his head fall back. The tall hair on his head tickled the side of Alec’s neck. Almost every inch of their skin was touching. There was an intimacy in this moment. Two lovers alone, lying together but not feeling the need for their nakedness to be sexual. One laid with a broken heart and the other held all the pieces together. It was dark in the room. Only the light of the sun rising and a few candles brought them out of complete darkness. 

———

Alec and Magnus stayed idle in the water until it was lukewarm and the skin of their fingers was pruned. Magnus quickly drifted to sleep. He was just barely over the edge of unconsciousness but Alec let him stay like that for a while. He even began to fall himself but jerked out of it when his body realized the water was getting cold. “Magnus wake up. It’s too cold to stay here much longer. I don’t want you getting sick on top of everything else.” Alec brushed his hand up and down his boyfriends arm trying to get him up. 

It took a few moments of Alec’s gentle hands running up and down Magnus’ arms for the other to wake from his sleep. He shook his head a bit to try and figure out where he was. “It’s fine, we’re home. Can you stand up so we can get to sleep in bed. I doubt either of us will feel good if we sleep here.” Magnus once again moved without even a sound coming out of his mouth. He climbed out of the lukewarm tub and stood while Alec dried off most of his skin. 

Before leaving the bathroom Alec took his boyfriends hand and stepped back into his space. He pressed his lips on his loves cheek for merely a second before getting both of them out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. The bed looked warm and inviting to both. It had been almost a full day since the two had slept or even really took a step back and relaxed. Alec found boxers for them both and handed one pair to Magnus. 

The room was eerily quiet and the people too. Both men pulled the boxers on then threw their bodies at the gold satin sheets. Magnus was quick to curl up in the fetal position. An onslaught of tears ripped through the silence as Magnus finally let it all out. His breath stopped being even and calm. His breath came out of his mouth erratically and he couldn’t seem to get it back under control no matter what he tried to bring himself back. At first Alec couldn’t move and just laid watching the man he loved struggle. After breaking himself out of his trance he moved slowly to press his body against the warlocks back.

Alec held Magnus for what felt like hours, without saying a word or doing much other than anything to try and calm the other down. Finally the tears stopped coming and his breathing evened out enough that Alec could tell Magnus was asleep. He was out cold and finally getting the rest he needed. Whenever he woke the problems and sadness would still be there but at least he was asleep, and asleep meant all the troubles of the day may just slip away for a while. At least Alec hoped sleep would be a reprise for them both. 

Before drifting off himself Alec placed a kiss to Magnus’ shoulder. It was one last gesture to show that he was there. That he wasn’t going to disappear. While still deep in sleep Magnus turned in Alec’s arms so the two were facing each other. “I love you so much.” Alec said quietly to the air. Slowly he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Sure the next few days or weeks would probably be hell for Magnus and work at the institute would get in the way of Alec being there for Magnus but there wasn’t much he could do. Before anything else could happen he needed to sleep and he needed a break from hunting warlocks who go against the accords. Alec let himself go and fell asleep holding the man he loved. Things weren’t by any means perfect but he was glad to be where he was and planned to spend the rest of his life protecting what he had.

**Author's Note:**

> *slight spoilers*
> 
> I just finished the show today and also finished this little thing I wrote when I was sad about the two breaking up for a bit. Thus now that I'm done with the show I can cry about all the malec moments without missing anything. Also I must say this is my first shadowhunters fic so I don't quite know how many more from this fandom i'll get out but hey who knows what I might write.


End file.
